Chapter 182: Chapter 192
I was sick, so there was no update yesterday.
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In truth, what Black Zetsu was suggesting was incredibly risky.
After all, he had manipulated Uchiha Madara by forging the stone tablet left behind by the Uchiha clan and falsely attributing it to the Sage of Six Paths, claiming that in order to bring peace to the shinobi world, one needed the Rinnegan, the God Tree, and Infinite Tsukuyomi—to reclaim all chakra from the world.
So if Madara were to go and attack the Sage of Six Paths, the whole scheme might fall apart.
But…
There was no other choice now.
Because… Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, this Unfilial Son! He actually intended to seal Lady Kaguya again!
He must have already discovered that the little white bunny beside Kitahara Kaede was actually Lady Kaguya.
So… he wanted to cast Chibaku Tensei again and seal her once more!
Last time, Black Zetsu was powerless to stop it—he had only just been created and lacked any strength. All he could do was watch helplessly.
But now…
Even if he still didn't have much power… he had a tool—Madara!
"Let's do it!"
Uchiha Madara clapped his hands together.
"If I can't get Hamura's power… then I'll just take the Sage's power!"
"To the shinobi world!"
Uchiha Madara made his decision immediately.
He took Black Zetsu, abandoned the now ruined moon he had carved up, and headed back.
Meanwhile.
Although Hagoromo felt like he had wasted some time… he had still made some progress.
Because—
He had already arrived before Sasuke and Naruto.
Chapter 102 - Ancestor: The Times Have Changed! Sage Fukasaku Is Absolutely Flabbergasted!! (Please Auto-Subscribe, Please Fully Subscribe!)
The Sage of Six Paths had two sons: the elder Indra, and the younger Asura.
Asura inherited his kindness and compassion, while the elder was more independent—or perhaps more accurately, extremely stubborn.
However—
The Sage knew the truth in his heart.
When he founded Ninshū and had to choose a successor, he sent both sons out to experience the world before selecting Asura, who seemed to embody the right values.
But that was only a surface-level excuse.
Because although he had shared chakra with the world and founded Ninshū, the one who truly created the shinobi system was Indra.
Asura was the younger brother, of average talent, while Indra was exceptionally gifted. The entire concept of hand seals for jutsu was something Indra had invented.
So, at the time, everyone just assumed Indra would be the heir.
It would have made sense—he was the eldest, and he was talented.
But…
The problem was, Hagoromo couldn't accept it.
Whenever he looked at Indra, he saw a reflection of himself—the self who had once sealed his own mother.
Because of that, he couldn't trust Indra, and therefore… didn't dare to appoint him.
This led to the situation as it is.
But…
Even if he hadn't interfered, maybe Indra would've still walked the path of endless conflict. After all, people don't change their nature.
When the Sage of Six Paths' spirit form appeared, the sky and light around Sasuke and Naruto seemed to vanish.
"…Unbelievable."
"Yeah!"
Sasuke and Naruto both froze.
"Uchiha Sasuke."
"Uzumaki Naruto."
His spiritual form floated, beard long, Rinnegan glowing, levitating in a way that looked truly otherworldly.
"I am the Sage of Six Paths," he said.
"Sage of Six Paths?!" ×2
For Sasuke and Naruto, who had both studied history and texts under Kitahara Kaede's 60-year reading regimen, they were well-informed.
"…A genjutsu?"
"Sasuke!" Naruto reacted instantly.
"Sharingan!" Sasuke didn't hesitate—he immediately activated his two-tomoe Sharingan.
His crimson pupils glowed sharply.
"…" Hagoromo nearly laughed and cried.
Still, it proved both boys were quite intelligent.
And—
Sasuke really was Indra's heir… after all, he had the Sharingan.
"There's so much chakra… what he said might be true," Sasuke muttered.
"…Yes."
"I really am the Sage of Six Paths."
"You two…"
"…are shinobi of Konoha."
His soul could not remain for long, so every second mattered.
But—
He also couldn't pass on his power lightly.
After all, the last guy who inherited Indra's chakra—Uchiha Madara—was now cutting open the moon, which frankly made him furious.
So even now, as Sasuke carried Indra's chakra, he didn't feel confident.
But…
Seeing how Naruto (Asura's heir) and Sasuke got along—
It reminded him of the days when his two sons were still young and played peacefully together.
"Yes."
"But since you're the founder of the shinobi world—what do you want from us?" Sasuke asked.
"…" Hagoromo paused.
This generation too, huh?
As Indra's heir, Sasuke clearly had sharper thinking than Naruto.
"I'm here to tell you something critical for preserving the shinobi world's peace," he said.
"In the past, I sealed a ninja rabbit—a little white bunny."
Originally, he was going to say he sealed his own mother, but remembering what the small group chat said about him…
He had to convince Sasuke and Naruto in just a few minutes to go back to Konoha and seal Kitahara Kaede's bunny, so—
He quickly changed his story.
"That bunny will bring disaster to the world," he declared.
"Ninja rabbit… white bunny…" Sasuke blinked.
And Naruto immediately shouted, "Isn't that Kaede-kun's pet?!"
"Yes."
"Kitahara Kaede is innocent," the Sage said. "But the bunny at his side… is the dangerous being my brother and I once sealed."
"It will absorb all chakra."
"And bring catastrophe to the world."
"But it's not the original bunny—it's the same body, now possessed by the spirit of the sealed one."
"If we don't act… it will explode," the Sage added.
He couldn't believe it himself—he was lying to kids now.
But he had no choice.
From their tone, Naruto and Sasuke clearly trusted Kitahara Kaede.
If he bluntly asked them to seal his pet, they might resist.
So he added the "possessed" story.
"Now that you say it… we did leave the village earlier because we sensed something strange about the bunny…"
"Wait—" Naruto's face changed. "Will Kaede-kun get hurt?!"
"Yes," the Sage stroked his long beard. "Because he has the Rinnegan."
"And the Rinnegan will be the first to have its chakra drained," the Sage lied.
He hadn't expected this to go so smoothly.
So he quickly spilled all the information he had gathered.
"..." Naruto.
"..." Sasuke.
"So what should we do?" Sasuke asked quickly.
"Yeah, what's the plan?"
"What if I go back now and help Kaede-kun level up!?"
"Help him stay away from the bunny!" Naruto suggested.
"No, no, no…"
"Staying away won't help. A possessed bunny like that is too powerful. It must be sealed," the Sage said, coaxing them gently.
"Powerful?" Sasuke paused.
"…Huh?"
"Yes." The Sage noticed that at the mention of power, both Naruto and Sasuke's expressions changed.
To be continued…